CS for SB 7016 — Amendments to the State Constitution (Florida)

• Overhauls the citizen initiative petition process in response to findings of widespread fraud by petition circulators, including forged signatures, identity theft, perjury, and per-signature payment schemes during the 2024 election cycle

• Requires all petition circulators to be U.S. citizens, Florida residents, and registered voters without disqualifying felony convictions, and mandates they register with the Secretary of State and complete training before collecting signatures; unregistered persons may possess no more than two signed petition forms beyond their own or immediate family members' forms

• Reduces the petition form delivery deadline from 30 days to 10 days after signing, significantly increases civil fines (up to $5,000 per form for willful violations and $50,000 per unregistered collector), creates new third-degree felony penalties for retaining voters' personal information or possessing excess petition forms without registration, and adds initiative petition fraud to the definition of "racketeering activity"

• Requires supervisors of elections to mail verification notices to voters whose petition signatures are validated, allowing voters to report forgeries to the Office of Election Crimes and Security, which must investigate when invalid petition rates exceed 25% in a reporting period

• Prohibits expenditure of public funds on communications to voters concerning proposed constitutional amendments, restructures the Financial Impact Estimating Conference (convened only by Senate President and House Speaker jointly), and imposes a 3-month signature verification moratorium from July 1 through September 30, 2025